ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the mechanism of Sinisan in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus（T2DM） based on network pharmacology. Method:Based on electronic databases， active ingredients of Sinisan and target genes of ingredients as well as type 2 diabetes were screened out. Cytoscape software was applied to construct "herb-active ingredient-target-disease" interaction network diagram，respectively. The common genes of ingredients and disease were uploaded to the STRING database， and the protein interaction network map （PPI） was constructed. CytoNCA and Cluster Marker were used to analyze PPI，respectively. Finally，ClueGO was used to analyze gene ontology （GO） enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment. Result:A total of 137 active components and 110 effective genes of Sinisan in the treatment of type 2 diabetes were screened out. Based on PPI analysis，these effective genes were divided into 4 different clusters， and 12 genes were considered as the most effective targets. GO enrichment analysis showed that cluster 1 mainly involved acute inflammatory response and acetylcholine receptor signaling pathway， cluster 2 mainly involved cellular response to steroid hormone stimulu and xenobiotic stimulus，and cluster 3 was mainly engaged in the metabolism process of protein，fatty and glucose and the response to hypoxia. KEGG analysis was highly correlated with advanced glycation end products-receptor for AGE （AGE-RAGE） pathway，apoptosis pathway，inflammatory pathway，cell cycles and various metabolic pathways. Conclusion:Sinisan has a regulatory effect in pathogenesis and prognosis of T2DM，such as inflammation，cell apoptosis and nutrition metabolism. Moreover，its potential mechanisms on diabetic angiopathies，diabetic cognitive impairment and cancers were reveal，so as to define a direction for the fundamental research of Sinisan.